A solar pond is a man-made pool of saltwater that not only absorbs heat from sunlight, but is able to store it for use in heating or power generation. In a freshwater pond, sun-warmed water rises to the top, loses its heat to the atmosphere, becomes denser, and sinks again. In a solar pond, however, a layer of highly salty water remains trapped at the bottom by its own density, even as it is warmed by sunlight—thereby storing heat. Typically, how hot is the bottom of a solar pond?More...

The first agreement to form a stock exchange in New York was made in 1792 by 24 brokers standing under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street. The New York Stock Exchange was formally founded 25 years later. The exchange provided capital for the industrialization of the US in the 19th century and is today the world's largest securities market. The right to trade in the exchange can only be obtained by purchasing a seat from an existing member, and the number of seats is limited to how many?More...

One of the most prominent figures in late 20th-century neoexpressionism, Anselm Kiefer is a German painter and sculptor. In 1966, he abandoned law studies to pursue art. He studied with Joseph Beuys in the 1970s and began producing artwork that dealt starkly with taboos and dark periods in German history. His later works address mythological, classical, and biblical subjects. Kiefer's large-scale paintings are characterized by a somber color palette and the use of what unusual materials?More...

San Juan de Dios (St. John of God) was born in Portugal in 1495. A religious order, the Brothers Hospitallers, was founded in his honor, and thereafter he was known as John of God and the patron saint of hospitals. In Puno, Peru, San Juan de Dios is celebrated with a two-day fiesta. On March 7, llamas bring in wood for bonfires in a parade with flute and drum music, and in the evening bonfires blaze. The next day, his feast day, a procession takes the saint's image through the streets of Puno, and dancers and musicians create a festive atmosphere around the church. More...

Bakhretdin Khakimov was just 20 years old when he went missing in Afghanistan months after the Soviet invasion in 1979, and for 33 years his whereabouts remained unknown. Recently, however, a Moscow-based veterans' group tracked him down in Afghanistan and learned what became of the young soldier. It turns out that Khakimov had suffered severe head trauma in the fighting and had been rescued and nursed back to health by a local Afghan healer. Khakimov chose to remain in Afghanistan thereafter, adopted the name Sheikh Abdullah, and took up the profession of his rescuer.More...

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